Decollator for manifolding assemblies



Aug. 5, 1947.

' c. R MABON DEGOLLATOR FOR MANIFOLDING ASSEMBLIES Filed July 12,

2 Sheets-Sheet l Zzv'enior CmeL F. Mason 4 c. R. MAB ON DECOLLATOR FOR MANIFOLDING ASSEMBLIES Filed July 1 2, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Br wnie? CneL R Mnao/v Patented Aug. 5, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DECOLLATOR FOR MANIFOLDIN G ASSEMBLIES Carl R. Mabon, Niagara Falls, N. Y., assignor to Moore Business Forms, Inc., a corporation of Delaware 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a strip decollating or separating apparatus, and more particularly to an improved apparatus for deoollating interleaved record and carbon strips of a manifolding assembly, and for disposing the separated strips into separate packs or bundles. The record and carbon or transfer strips are ordinarily interleaved with each other in manifolding or transfer relation and zigzag folded along transverse lines into a zigzag supply pack convenient for use with various forms of writing machines, such as tabulators, typewriters, autographic registers, and the like.

It is a general object of the invention to provide an improved decollating apparatus of the class mentioned especially designed for separating a relatively large number of interleaved recrd and carbon strips and for effectively disposing them in separate packs or bundles. Also, the apparatus is designed for compactness so as to occupy very little installation space.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strip separating apparatus of the class mentioned having improved means for separating the carbon strips from the record strips and disposing them together in a separate pack or bundle that can be easily disposed of, and in which the carbon strips are protected from injury and kept from contacting with the other separated strips or with extraneous objects.

A further object of the invention is to provide for strip separating apparatus of the class mentioned, an improved arrangement of traveling belts cooperating frictionally with certain of the separated strips, such as, the carbon strips, so as to'cause them to be assembled or rolled into a compact assembly or bundle that can be con veniently handled or disposed of Still another object of the invention is to provide for strip separating apparatus of the class mentioned, an improved arrangement of strip assembling or bundling belts traveling in angula-rly disposed courses and having a convenient arrangement for adjusting the angularity therebetween so as to compensate for difierent char... acter oi strip materials and other variable conditions so to obtain the most satisfactory assembling operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved structure for mounting the partitions forming the gravity chutes for the sepa- Other objects of the invention will be in part pointed out in the following detailed description of an illustrative but preferred embodiment of the invention, and will be in part obvious as the disclosure proceeds.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indi cated in the claims.

For a full and comprehensive disclosure of the nature, objects and advantages of the invention, reference is had to the following detailed descrip tion of the illustrative embodiment, and to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a partly diagrammatic partly structural side elevation of a strip separating apparatus embodying the invention, and showing it as being used in connection with a writing machine of the tabulator type;

Fi 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal substantially central section of the separating apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the separating apparatus shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed perspective View showing the structure for mounting and supporting the partitions that form the gravity chutes;

and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing one of the strip guides and the mounting thereof.

For a detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which the improved strip separating or decollating apparatus is shown as embodying two separating units A and B of substantially similar construction, arranged side by side and firmly attached together by means of structural spacing members I attached at their opposite ends to the frame members of the separating units. Th spacing members i may be of any desired structure such as sleeve members shown having bolts extending therethrough and attached at their opposite ends to the frames of the separating units.

Each of the separating units A and B has a structural frame for supporting the operating elements, each including upright posts 8 preferably of flanged metallic members such as the angle bars shown. These posts 8 are connected by a series of vertically spaced longitudinal frame members 9 and transverse frame members it), all of which may be angle bars similar to the posts 3. These frame members 8, 9 and i9 may be rigidly connected together in any approved manner such as by means of rivets or welding.

Each of the separating units has laterally spaced upright side walls or panels I I preferably of wood, and attached in any appropriate manner to the frames of the respective separating units. Each of the side panels II is widest at its upper end where the receiving openings for the gravity chutes hereinafter described are located, and is progressively narrower at each succeeding.horizontal frame member 9, I0, as indicated at I2. Also, the upper or wide end of the panel is provided with an extension I3 servin as a support for certain of the structural elements. These side walls or panels II provide a convenient structural support for the partitions forming the gravity chutes as later described.

Each of the separating units has a plurality of gravity chutes I4 and I5 extending downwardly from the upper receiving ends thereof. In the embodiment shown, the gravity chutes I4 are arranged for receiving the record strips S of a manifolding assembly Sa while the chutes I5 receive the carbon or transfer strips C. Each of the gravity chutes I 4 communicates at its lower extremity with a receiving space or compartment I6 having a floor or bottom H. An additional gravity chute I5 is formed between the separating units A and B for receiving one of the carbon strips when a large number of strips are being separated. Each of the chutes I5 and I5 for the carbon strips communicates at its lower end with a common space or compartment in which an endless carrier belt is located as later described.

The gravity chutes I4 and I5 are partially bounded and formed by thin partitions I8 of any suitable material such as metal, fiberboard, plastic or the like. Also, a similar partition I 9, as shown at the left on the separating unit A, is supported by the panel extension I3, and curved or rounded at its upper end so as to form a strip guide 29. If desired, a partition similar to the partition I9 may be provided at the right in the separating unit B and supported by the panel extension I3 in the same manner as the partition I9.

The partition I9 is deflected to the left at its lower end portion so as to form the upper compartment top wall 2I of the adjacent receiving compartment I6, and each alternate partition I8 is similarly provided with a lower outwardly deflected part forming an upper wall 22 for the respective adjacent receiving compartment I6. The gravity chutes I5 for the carbon strips have lower Openings communicating respectively with the upper surfaces of the upper compartment walls 22 which thus serve as guides for guiding the carbon strip outwardly above the respective receiving compartments. These guide plates 22 are preferably inclined outwardly and downwardly as shown, and the outer extremities thereof are substantially vertically disposed to form outer side walls 23 of the receiving compartments I6. The side walls 23 lie in different vertical planes, each successive side wall from top to bottom being inset slightly from the preceding side Wall so as to position the carbon strips side by side as they pass downwardly through the gravity chutes. These top walls 22 and side walls 23 together with the frame elements of the separating units in effect provide lower extensions of the gravity chutes I5. This is best seen in Fig. 1 where the carbon strips C are shown to pass downwardly through the gravity chutes I5 and over the walls 22 and 23, while the record strips S pass downwardly through the gravity chutes I4 into the respective receiving compartments IS,

The lower end sections of the partitions I8 adjacent to the inner sides of the receiving compartments I6 form walls 24 for the inner sides of the compartments, and are also formed with deflected portions 25 for engagement with the respective record strips to assist in refolding them into the zigzag packs S in the respective receiving compartments. Thus, it will be seen that each receiving compartment is substantially closed at four sides thereof, while the two remaining sides may be left open, or partially open, so that the packs -S' are accessible for removal, or other purposes.

The upper compartment wall 2| of the separatlng unit A provides a shelf ,or support for a zigzag supply pack Sb in which the record strips S and carbon strips C are collectively zigzag folded. Attached to the outer end of the supporting plate 2I is an upwardly and outwardly inclined wall or plate 26 adapted. to support and confine the supply pack Sb, and formed at its upper end with a curved or rounded portion forming a guide 21 for the strip assembly Sa as it passes from the supply pack to the writing machine.

Arranged adjacent to the upper or receiving openings of the gravity chutes I4 and I5 are strip guides 28 in the form of bent metallic rods or the like having downwardly extending supporting extensions 29 engaged by a supporting bar 30 attached to the panels II. The supporting bar 30 is apertured to receive the extensions 29 of the guide bars which are clamped and held in adjusted position by means of thumb set screws 3| threaded into the supporting bar or plate 30. By means of this arrangement, each guide bar 28 can be readily individually adjusted and supported in the position best adapted for guiding the strips from the assembly into the receiving openings of the gravity chutes.

Beneath the lowermost receiving compart ments I6 and at the lower or discharge ends of the gravity chutes I 5 and I5 for the carbon strips, is a traveling carrier belt 33. This belt together with the frame members of the separating units, provides a receiving space or compartment in which all of the carbon strips are received from the gravity chutes. This carrier belt may be constructed of any suitable flexible material, such as woven cotton or other textile, and is ordinarily of suflicient width to extend substantially across the separating units. The belt may be made in a single integral width or in a plurality of narrow widths mounted side by side. The carrier belt 33 is supported on a plurality of rollers or pulleys including a driving pulley 34 and a plurality of spaced idler rollers or pulleys 35. The pulleys 34 and 35 are appropriately carried by shafts 36 rotatably mounted in bearings 36 carried by the supporting frame. The upper reach or carrying part of this carrier belt 33 travels fom left to right as viewed in Fig. 2.

Another endless belt 31 is mounted adjacent to the delivery end of the carrier belt 33 and is disposed for movement at an angle to the course of the carrier belt. The belt 3'! which may be termed the rolling or bundling belt for the carbon strips, is mounted on rollers or pulleys including a driving pulley 38 and an idler pulley 39 appropriately carried by shafts 40 mounted in bearings and carried by a supporting frame 4|. The upper supporting shaft 49 is rotatably mounted in a bearing 42 and supported by the frame member 4| pivotally connected at its lower 5 end at 43 concentrically with the lower shafts 40 to a supporting frame member 44 carrying the bearing 40' for the lower shaft 40 and attached to the supporting frame of the adjacent separating unit.

At its upper end the frame member 4| is adjustably connected to a supporting frame member 45 attached to the adjacent frame of the separating unit. The supporting member 45 is provided with a series of spaced apertures 45 for receiving a supporting screw or bolt 41 extending through an opening in the upper end of the swinging frame 4|. By means of this arrangement, the belt 3'! may be adjusted into different angular positions with reference to the course of the carrier belt 33, and supported in such adjusted positions. The tension of the belt 31 may be adjusted by means of adjusting screws 43 engaging the bearings 4| which may be mounted for sliding movements along the supporting members 4|. Similar belt tensioning adjusting screws 35 may be provided for the supporting roller 35 for the belt 33. End plates 45' are attached to the frame of the adjacent separating unit B and positioned adjacent to the belts 33 and 31 so as to form. a receiving compartment in which the assembly of carbon strips is received and formed into bundle or roll C by action of the angularly moving belts 33 and 31.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a power drive is preferably provided for the traveling belts 33 and 31, including a small electric motor 49 connected through a reduction gear 5! to a driving pulley 5| and a driving belt 52 to a pulley 53 fixed on the driving shaft 36 of the driving pulley 34 for the belt 33. A second pulley 54 fixed on the shaft 36 is connected by a drive belt 55 to a pulley 55 fixed on the shaft 4!! of the driving pulley 38 for the belt 31. It will thus be seen that the belts 33 and 31 are driven in unison at a constant speed which is ordinarily quite slow so as to take up the accumulations of carbon strip delivered through the gravity chutes from the writing machine or other apparatus.

In the embodiment best shown in Fig. 1, the assembly So of record and carbon strips passes from the supply pack Sb over the guide 21 toa strip guide 51 which may form the paper table of the tabulator 53 or similar writing machine. Thence the strips pass over the cylindrical platen 59 of the writing machine on Which they receive the writing by means of type bars or the like, the inscriptions being transferred to the underlying record strips bymeans of the interleaved carbon strips. Pin feed mechanism 53 is mounted on the writing machine for feeding the strips for ine spacing over the platen 59. This pin feed mechanism may be of any preferred form, such for example, as disclosed in the prior Mabon Patents No. 2171,0023, granted August 29, 1939, and No. 2,208,99 i, granted July 23, 1940. From the feeding mechanism 53 the assembly of record and carbon strips pass over an intermediate guide plate (not shown) directly to the strip guide 28 mounted on the adjacent separating unit A and thence over the guide bars 28 tothe respective gravity chutes.

i As best shown in Figs. 2 and 4: supporting slats 6| are provided for the partitions l 8. These slats are preferably of wood and attached in any convenient manner as by nails or screws to the inner surfaces of the wooden panels The slats 6| are arranged side by side in parallel relation and spaced slightly at their adjacent edges to provide receiving grooves 62 for receivmg the adjacent edges of the partitions l8. These supporting partitions may be conveniently assembled in supporting positions when the partitions are assembled, being placed one at a time closely against the'edges of the respective part1 tions' which are previously placed in position. Thus the partitions are engaged closelyin the grooves by the slats and held firmly in assembled position and the assembling operation is quickly and easily accomplished. Also a great deal of labor is saved in assembling the apparatus and production costs are thus lowered, and also by this means of assembly it is easier to avoid irregularities and defects in the complete assembled structure.

As the writing continues on the platen 59, the strip assembly is fed step by step by the feeding mechanism for line spacing, and passes over the guides 20 and 23 into the respective gravity chutes in which they are initially threaded. The apparatus shown is made fora maximum of 8 record strips with 7 interleavedv carbon strips. The record strips are threaded into the gravity chutes l4 and the carbon strips into the gravity chutes l5, with the exception of one carbon'strip which is threaded into the intermediate gravity chute I5 between the two separating units. All of the record and carbon strips are urged downwardly by gravity through the gravity chutes, and are also urged to considerable extent by the action of the feeding mechanism 58. Thus all of the carbon strips are conducted through the chutes 5 and i5 to the traveling carrier belt 33, and the record strips are conducted individually to the filing compartments IS in which theyare refolded in the zigzag packs S. The projections 25 at the rear ends of the compartments deflect the strips slightly so as to assist in refolding them in the zigzag packs. The folding is also promoted by the transverse creasing of the strips on which they are folded in the original supply pack Sb.

As the carbon strips movedownwardly slowly through the chutes, the lower ends engage fric- 5. tionally with the upper surface of the traveling belt 33 so as to carry the strips to the right as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2. Also it will be noted that the delivery ends of the carbon strip chutes are spaced apart slightly horizontally of the apparatus so that the carbon strips are delivered to the lower portion or compartment of the apparatus and to the carrier belt 33 in serial order one after another. The carbon strips are thus assembled one on another on the upper surface of the belt as shown in Fig. 1, and carried to the right toward the belt 37. When the forward ends of the carbon strip or strips engage the upwardly traveling reach of the belt 31, the strips are caused to form into a roll or bundle C due to the frictional engagement of the two moving belts. Thus as the carbon strips accumulate they are caused to be assembled into the roll which. gradually increases in size. The angularity of the belt 3! is adjustable with reference to the belt 33 to compensate for different qualities of carbon paper, and atmospheric conditions and other variables so that the best bundling or rolllng action can be readily secured at all times merely by adjusting the angularity of the belt 37. The carbon roll C can be easily removed from the compartment in which it is assembled. The belts 33 and 31 are driven quite slowly by the driving mechanism but sufficiently fast to take up the accumulations of carbon strips as fed forwardly from the Writing machine. Ordinarily the belt 33 travels somewhat faster than the maximum speed of the strips coming from the writing ma chine. It will be noted that both of the traveling belts 33 and 31 cooperate in promoting the rolling action of the carbon roll C.

The positioning side by side of the two separating units A and B with the rear sides of the receiving compartments next to the respective groups of chutes and with said compartments reversely arranged as described, makes a very compact structure for separating a relatively large number of strips, thus conserving installation space. Since the carbonized surfaces of the carbon strips are on the under sides of the strips leaving the platen l9, and the upper surfaces are ordinarily uncarbonized, the uncoated surfaces will contact with the guide walls 22, 23 of separating unit A, whereas the carbonized or coated surfaces will contact with the guide walls 22, 23 of unit 13. Also the coated surfaces of the strips from unit A are reversed from those from unit 13 in the carbon roll C, and on the carrier belt 33, the carbonized surfaces being positioned against the surfaces of the belts 33, 31, thus forming a stronger frictional contact of the belts with the strip assembly, resulting in a more positive and satisfactory rolling action to roll the strips into a compact roll C.

As described above, the carbon strips C passing downwardly through the gravity chutes engage the upper surface of the carrier belt 33 so as to move these strips to the right as viewed in Fig. 1, Also, since the belt 33 ordinarily travels somewhat faster than the carbon strips, there is a constant gentle pull exerted on the carbon strips due to the frictional engagement therewith of the belt 33. This yielding or frictional effort exerted on the carbon strips has considerable effect in propelling the carbon strips downwardly through the gravity chutes. Also, since the recrd strips S are in frictional engagement with the carbon strips at the upper ends of the chutes, this propelling effort is also exerted to some extent upon the record strips. Ihus the combined efiort of the strip feeding mechanism 60 and of the carrier belt 33 together with the influence of gravity in the gravity chutes, tends to keep the record and carbon strips moving uniformly in their respective courses and jamming or clogging is avoided.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

The invention having thus been fully described, the following is claimed:

1. In a strip separating apparatus, in combination, a plurality of downwardly extending gravity chutes, a plurality of partitions separating said chutes, means for supporting said partitions including spaced walls adjacent to the inner surfaces of which the partition edges are positioned, and a plurality of partition supporting slats secured to the inner surfaces of said walls and interposed between the respective adjacent partitions and respectively spaced apart slightly to form grooves snugly receiving the adjacent edges of the partitions to support said partitions.

2. In a strip separating apparatus, in combination, a plurality of strip separating units positioned side by side and attached together in operative position, each of said separating units having a plurality of downwardly extending gravity chutes arranged in a group, said groups of chutes being positioned respectively at the adjacent sides of the separating units and adjacent to each other, the adjacent sides of said separating units being spaced apart by attaching spacers so as to form an additional downwardly extending gravity chute positioned next to and between said chute groups and between said strip separating units, and strip receiving compartments on each of said separating units communicating respectively with certain of said chutes for receiving strips therefrom, said receiving compartments having their inner sides positioned respectively adjacent to the group of chutes in each of said separating units and said receiving compartments extending outwardly from the respective said group of chutes in opposite directions in the respective separating units.

3. In a strip separating apparatus, in combination, a plurality of downwardly extending gravity chutes in which the strips of an assembly are received for separating them, a plurality of partitions separating said chutes, means for supporting said partitions including spaced walls adjacent to the inner surfaces of which the partition edges are positioned, a plurality of partition supporting slats secured to the inner surfaces of said walls and interposed between the respective adjacent partitions and respectively spaced apart slightly to form grooves snugly receiving the adjacent edges of the partitions to support them, certain of said chutes discharging downwardly at a plurality of spaced points, a traveling carrier belt at the lower part of said apparatus extending transversely of said downwardly discharging chutes and traveling transversely thereof so that the strips therefrom are discharged one after another on said carrier belt and deposited thereon to form an assembly of superposed strips, said carrier belt extending in a substantially horizontal course to a position outside of said chutes to which the superposed strips are carried by said carrier belt, and a second traveling belt positioned adjacent to said outside position of said horizontal course of said carrier belt and extending upwardly at an angle to the latter whereby said upwardly extending traveling belt and said outside horizontal course of said carrier belt cooperate to roll said assembly of superposed strips into a bundle.

4. In a strip separating apparatus, in combination, a plurality of strip separating units arranged side by side and attached together in operative position, each of said separating units having a plurality of downwardly extending gravity chutes arranged in a group of a plurality of chutes, said groups of chutes being positioned respectively at the adjacent sides of the separating units and adjacent to each other, the adjacent sides of said separating units being spaced apart by attaching spacers so as to form an additional downwardly extending gravity chute positioned next to and between said chute groups and b.- tween said, strip separating units, strip receiving compartments on each of said separating units communicating respectively with certain of said chutes for receiving strips therefrom, said receiving compartments having their inner sides positioned respectively adjacent to the said groups of chutes of said separating units, said receiving compartments extending outwardly from the respective groups of chutes in op osite directions in the respective separating units, a traveling carrier belt at the lower parts of said separating units and extending transversely of the lower discharge parts of said additional chute and of certain others of said chutes so that the strips from these chutes are discharged one after another on said carrier belt and deposited thereon in an assembly of superposed strips, said carrier belt extending in a substantially horizontal course to a position outside of said chutes to which the said assembly of superposed strips is carried by said carrier belt, and a second traveling belt positioned adjacent to said outside position of said horizontal course of said carrier belt and extending upwardly at an angle to the latter, whereby the said upwardly extending traveling belt and said outside horizontal course of said carrier belt cooperate to roll the said assembly of superposed strips into a bundle.

5. In a strip separating apparatus, in combination, means for guiding an assembly of record and transfer strips to the separating apparatus from writing position on a writing machine with the transfer surfaces of the transfer strips faced downwardly in transfer relation, said apparatus having a plurality of downwardly extending record and transfer strip gravity chutes to which said record and transfer strips are respectively guided by said guiding means, record strip receiving compartments communicating respectively with said record strip chutes for receiving the separated record strips, transfer strips being respectively received in said transfer strip chutes with the transfer faces of the transfer strips faced toward the respective adjacent record strip receiving compartments, a traveling carrier belt at the lower part of said separating apparatus and extending transversely of the lower or discharge parts of said transfer strip chutes so that the transfer strips therefrom are discharged one after another on said carrier belt and deposited thereon in an assembly of superposed transfer strips the lower of which has its transfer surface outwardly disposed in contact with the surface of said carrier belt, said carrier belt extending to a position outside of said chutes to which the said assembly of superposed transfer strips is carried by said carrier belt, and a second traveling belt positioned adjacent to said outside position of said carrier belt and extending upwardly at an angle to the latter whereby said traveling belts are both in simultaneous frictional driving contact with said outwardly disposed transfer surface of the lower transfer strip and cooperate to roll the said assembly of transfer strips into a bundle.

6. In a strip separating apparatus, in combination, a plurality of strip separating units arranged side by side and attached together in operative position, each of said separating units having a plurality of downwardly extending gravity chutes arranged in a group of a plurality of chutes, said groups of chutes being positioned respectively '10 substantially at the adjacent sides of the separating units and adjacent to each other, the adjacent sides of said separating units being spaced apart by attaching spacers so as to form an additional downwardly extending gravity chute positioned next to and between said chute groups and between said strip separating units, strip receiving compartments on each of said separating units communicating respectively with certain of said chutes for receiving strips therefrom, said receiving compartments having their inner sides positioned respectively adjacent to the said groups of chutes of said separating units, said receiving compartments extending outwardly from the respective groups of chutes in opposite directions in the respective separating units, whereby when record and transfer strips are being separated as they emerge from operative writing position in a writing machine, the transfer surfaces of the transfer strips in chutes of one of said separating units will be faced outwardly toward the respective adjacent strip receiving compartments, a traveling carrier belt at the lower part of said separating apparatus and extending transversely of the lower or discharge parts of said additional chute which receives a transfer strip and certain others of said chutes which also receive transfer strips, so that the transfer strips from these chutes are discharged one after another on said carrier belt and deposited thereon in an assembly of superposed transfer strips, one of said outwardly faced transfer strips being thus deposited with the transfer face thereof outwardly disposed and in contact with the surface of said carrier belt so as to increase the frictional feeding effect thereof on the transfer strip assembly, said carrier belt extending to a position outside of said chutes to which the said assembly of superposed transfer strips is carried by said carrier belt, and a second traveling belt positioned adjacent to said outside position of said carrier belt and extending upwardly at an angle to the latter whereby both' of said traveling belts are in frictional driving contact with said outwardly disposed transfer surface of the lower transfer strip and cooperate to roll the said assembly of transfer strips into a bundle.

CARL R. MABON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Nuinber Name Date 1,823,581 Anderson Sept. 15, 1931 2,273,162 Willard Feb. 17, 1942 2,275,475 Sherman Mar. 10, 1942 1,662,577 Johnson Mar. 13, 1928 2,265,466 Winter Dec. 9, 1941 2,280,224 Euth Apr. 21, 1942 

